Minerva
by hpimperfections
Summary: The title is pretty selfexclamatory...A tale of Minerva's life before, during, and after Hogwarts, and her eventual romance with Albus Dumbledore.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Advocate**

Minerva McGonagall was born in northern Scotland to a wizarding father and squib mother. Her childhood was not a happy one, for she had to watch her father hurl abuse, both verbal and physical, at hermother. Minerva was quite capable of defending herself, as her magical powers tended to do alarming things when she got angry, so she was more or less left to her own devices.

She never knew what love was—it was like some foreign word or idea: when she would come across it in books, she would puzzle over what it couldmean and eventuallyconclude that whatever it was, it must have longsince passed out of existence.

Reading was a regular activity in Minerva's life, since her parents never bothered to provide her with any sort of education. From her reading, she had gained some idea of right and wrong and was able to realize that every individual had the right to be a free, happy person. Her instincts told her that what Thomas McGonagall was doing was an injustice and that, contrary to popular belief, a man _was_ in the wrong.

Despite the fact that many strong-willed women could always be found in Scotland, they did not have very many rights. When Minerva tried to talk to her male neighbors about her parents' fighting, they would dismiss her with a wave of the hand and send her home. Most of the men believed that if a woman was hurt or abused, she had brought it on herself. Some of the weaker women believed this as well. The complete apathy of the people around her made Minerva increasingly frustrated.

One evening when Minerva was about ten, she walked into the kitchen and saw her mother, her dress torn, pressed against the wall by her father. McGonagall had his wand at his wife's throat, the intent to murder written plainly on his face. On hearing his daughter's entrance, he turned around.

"Get out, Minerva. Your mother and I are busy."

When she did not move, he advanced on her, wand in hand, but she remained where she was, a defiant expression on her face.

What Minerva did next took her father completely by surprise. She kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him to the floor. His wand dropped from his hand and rolled across the floor to her. She snatched it up and pointed it down at the man who had never loved her, who had ruined her childhood and made her lose her innocence. An aura of pure, intense hatred surrounded her, and McGonagall felt it. For the first time in his life, he begged for mercy:

"Minerva, please—spare me!"

"Avada Kedavra!" A flash of green light, a rushing sound, and Thomas McGonagall knew no more.

**A/N: What do you think? Is Minerva's using the Killing Curse too extreme? If so, I will edit the story so that it makes more sense. I would love to have more than one or two people review, partly because on the last story I tried to write, I got six reviews from the same person. Sometimes one person can give really great advice, but I like to see as many people reading, reviewing, and critiquing my writing as possible. Some suggestions that I will be overjoyed to receive are plot ideas, ways to structure my insanely long sentences, grammar errors, etc. No flames, please!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: An Encounter With the Greatest Wizard of All Time

**A/N: For readers of chapter 1 who wonder how Minerva would know AK—Minerva literally reads every single book she can get her hands on. As her father is a wizard, he would have plenty of books about magic. She also has unlimited time to steal her father's wand and practice spells with it when her father isn't around.**

"Shocking, shocking...It's a miracle the man's still alive. That was one hell of a curse," said the Healer fervently.

Albus Dumbledore looked down at the man lying on the bed. Thomas McGonagall's breathing was harsh and shallow, and although he was alive, the chances of his living much longer were small.

"You say the _daughter_ did this?" Dumbledore asked quietly, his tone incredulous.

The Healer nodded. "I suppose her magic wasn't quite strong enough to finish him off."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement. "No child can possess the amount of hatred required, regardless of the circumstances. How did the father get here?"

"Oh, the mother brought him in. She's in a bad state, and even though she wouldn't admit it, I can definitely believe the girl when she says there was a domestic dispute. She wouldn't say anything about the circumstances that led up to it. She strikes me as being use to this sort of thing."

"Is the daughter here, too?"

The Healer jerked his head towards the open doorway, and Dumbledore, whose attention had been focused on the man lying on the bed, noticed the young girl standing in the shadows behind the door. She stepped forward and looked at Dumbledore curiously. The woman with her looked at Dumbledore and gasped.

"Minerva," she whispered, "_that_ is the greatest wizard of all time."

Dumbledore absolutely _loathed_ people who used this line, so he was grateful that the girl responded to this statement with a very skeptical raised eyebrow. When her mother glared at her, shocked by her disinterest, the girl turned her back and walked out of the room. Viola McGonagall sighed and addressed Dumbledore.

"Please don't send her to Azkaban, sir," she whimpered, practically grovelling. "She's my only child, and she wasn't in her right mind when she attacked my husband. Please?"

It was quite possible that Dumbledore loathed people who grovelled even more than people who thought he was the greatest wizard ever to exist. He did feel sorry for the woman, but he had difficulty containing his exasperation when he next spoke.

"Madam," he replied, "the Wizengamot Charter of Rights prohibits children being sent to Azkaban, and even if it didn't, I don't have the authority to arrest people and hand them straight to the dementors. Furthermore, I believe your daughter was acting in your defense, as well as her own. How she knew about the Killing Curse is beyond me, but it is not something that is used lightly. Contrary to your views, I believe she knew exactly what she was doing, and while it might have been a slightly extreme measure, her emotions cannot be expected to be controlled at her age. Judging by the state you are in, I would also say that her actions were quite justified. She was trying to save your life, and I honor her for that. However, to prevent Minerva from performing anymore dangerous magic, I advise you to send her to Hogwarts, where she will be able to get proper training in magic and will learn to control her emotions. That is all I have to say. Good day, Mrs. McGonagall."

**A/N: Sorry if Dumbledore seems a little too harsh—he does get irritated by hero worship-type behavior and he's only human, right? Please review!**


End file.
